₦airaland Forum

What do you think about this public service rule in Nigeria? Should it be modified, removed or retained as it is? Note that it affects everyone working with the government- whether sweeper, teacher or Director.

Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, a public officer shall not:


Except where he is not employed on full time basis, engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession, or trade but nothing in this sub-paragraph shall prevent a public officer from engaging in farming.

Part of the conflict of interest principle.

It does not work in Nigeria. As a matter of fact it is risky under the Nigeria environment to obey this rule.

Many public servants simply open the businesses in the names of spouses, children, nephews/nieces or close associates/friends.

I have seen civil servants slave and slave only to be denied pension and gratuity for years. When they retire they have not a needle to fall back to. They queue endlessly under the sun for pensions that have been pinched and pilfered by those who process the payments. Some die in the process. They are summoned for verification and endless re verifications.

Even the contributory pension scheme (PFAs and PFCs) is one whereby if you calculate what your entire savings and interest will be after 35 years of service, it is not worth being idle for. Secondly, a lot of people do not know how their funds are fairing. Getting an SMS alert might not mean your money is there and safe. The Police,Railway,Local Government employees, Teachers and many other Pension matters (fraud,stealing, etc) and some never ever mentioned come to mind.

I will not encourage people to break the law, but personally, I ask myself, who will abide by this law in Nigeria. More so, not now when things are hard, salaries slashed, some salaries not payed for months. How will the civil servants survive. And which civil servant will leave Lagos to Ogun to tend his farm and still work diligently for the Government? Our style of farming is still labour intensive. And which Nigerian will you entrust with your farm while you return to Alusa on Monday to face ''Government Wahala"? The scale of farming that will keep a family going in Nigeria must go a little beyond the subsistence (a bed of ugwu and 'shorkor') type.

This country needs to encourage small,medium and large scale businesses to thrive and stop making the Civil Service the Major employer of labour.

Who's there?
It seems out of touch with reality, making criminals out of people who want to secure their future rather than depend on a pension that may not be given and will be grossly inadequate or a gratuity that may never be received.

OmaniPadmeHum:
Part of the conflict of interest principle.

It does not work in Nigeria

Yea. That's what they say but truth is that not only private businesses bring conflict of interest. Normal family issues can cause that too. Will the government say people should not belong to families?

Assuming its even in an environment where people feel financially secure it will be better understood.

PresidentElect1:
Yea. That's what they say but truth is that not only private businesses bring conflict of interest. Normal family issues can cause that too. Will the government say people should not belong to families?

Assuming its even in an environment where people feel financially secure it will be better understood.

Yeah, true.
I cannot see insecurity and then say I want to be law abiding. Only in countries like Nigeria do people who obey the law suffer terribly are oppressed by the same system for obeying the law and never get justice, while renegade and deviant citizens enjoy quick service,get home on time, are favored through nepotism and have more spending/purchasing power.

It is like telling me the Police has put a restriction on movement so I should not take my ailing family member to the hospital. E better make dem kuku come shoot me for house o, because I MUST GO OUT THAT DAY.

I'm wondering what Lalasticlacla will do on this issue if he has power to change the law Something needs to be done here too

Those who tell their subordinates to abide by this rule don't keep it. And you don't want to imagine how many hearts have been broken because someone decided to be faithful and loyal to the government for decades only to become beggars afterwards.

I feel strongly about some of this issues. I hope the Reps will take this up and do the needful.